Gon-5(10)-en-3beta-ols



United States Patent i 3,401,194

Patented Oct. 22, 1968 The process of the present invention will now be gen- 3,407,194 erally described so as to enable a person skilled in the art GON-5(10)-EN-3fi-OLS of chemistry to utilize it.

Donald P. Strike, Philadelphia, Daniel M. Teller, King of Prussia, and Herchel Smith, Wayne, Pa., assiguors to American Home Products Corporation, New York, 5

The oxidation reaction is effected by admixing an appropriate 13-alkylgon-5(10)en-3-one (I) with an acid NY. a corporation of Delaware 7 of the group consisting of perphthalic acid, perbenzoic N0 firawing Filed Sept. 26 1966 sen No. 581 745 acid and metachloroperbenzoic acid, in a reaction-inert ori 4 Claims 1, 2 2 .55 ganic solvent, for a period of about five minutes to about one hour at a temperature from about 10 C. to about 30 C. Preferably, this reaction is conducted with meta- I I 1O chloroperbenzoic acid in benzene at about room tempera- ABSTRACT THE DISCLOSURE I ture, for about ten minutes. After the oxidation reaction This invention Concerns a four p Process o y h is complete, the resulting 13-alkyl-5,10-epoxygonan-3-one sizing gon-5(10)-en-3fl-ols which are useful intermedi- (II) which is a mixture of 13-alkyl-5a,10a-epoxygonan-3- ates in the preparation of hormonally active IOfl-methylone and 13-alkyl-5fi,10fl-epoxygonan-3-one is obtained by l3g-polycarbonalkylgon-4-en-3-ones. 15 conventional means, such as, neutralization with an alkali metal hydroxide, carbonate or bicorbonate and sub- 1 1 sequent concentration by evaporation.

, This invention relates to a novel process for the prep- Selective reduction of the 3-keto group in the above aration of compositions of matter classified in the art of prepared 13-a1kyl-5,10-epoxygonan-3-one (II) may be efsteroidal chemistry as gonenols. fected under mild reducing conditions. This reaction may The present invention in its principal process aspect resuitably be conducted in an alkanol by contact with an sides in the concept of oxidizing a gon-5(10)-en-3-one to alkali metal borohydride at about -70 C. to 50 C. form a mixture of 5a,10a-epoxygonan-3-one and 55,10/3- for a period of about one to about three hours. Preferaepoxygonan-3-one, reducing said 3-ketoepoxide mixture to bly, this reaction is conducted with sodium borohydride in 'produce the corresponding 5a,10a-epoxygonan-3u-ol and methanol at 70 C. for about two hours. When the re- 5;3,l0;8-epoxygonan-3fi-ol which are then separated, and duction is complete, the resulting mixture 13-alky1-5,10- deoxygenating said isolated 3B-hydroxy-epoxide to afford epoxygonan-3(i)-ol (III) which contains a mixture of 13- an appropriate gon-5(l0)en-318-ol. alkyl 5u,l0a-epoXygonan-3u-ol and 13 alkyl-55,105- ,The tangible embodiments of the known compositions, epoxygonan-BB-ol is recovered by standard procedures, the go'n-S (10)en-3/3-o1s, prepared by this process possess for example, acidification, concentration, aqueous reconthe inherent general physical properties of being crystalstitution, extraction with a water immiscible organic solline solids. Examination of the compounds produced acvent, alkaline washing, drying and concentration. cording to the hereinafter described process reveals upon Separation of the above 13-alkyl-5,10-epoxygonan-3- nuclear magnetic resonance, ultraviolet and infrared spec- ()-ol (III) is effected by chromatography or fractional trographic analysis, spectral data confirming the molecucrystallization. Preferably, this separation is accomplished lar structure hereinbefore set forth. The aforementioned by eluting said mixture on a silica or alumina column with physical characteristics, taken together with the nature of a polar organic solvent, such as, benzene, toluene, xylene the starting materials, the mode of synthesis confirm the and benzene-ether mixtures. Other suitable chromatmolecular structure of the compounds prepared by the 40 ographic media and eluants to accomplish this separation process of this invention. I will readily suggest themselves to one skilled in the chemi- The tangible embodiments prepared by the process of cal art. In this manner, the desired insomer, 13-alkylthe present invention possess the inherent applied use 518,10B-epoxygonan-3fl-ol (IV) is efficiently separated. characteristic of being valuable intermediates in the prep- Purification may be further elfected by recrystallization aration of hormonally active 10/3-methy1-13,3-po1ycarbonfrom a suitable solvent, e.g. acetone-hexane. alkylgon-4-en-3-ones which procedure is described in co- Deoxygenation of the above separated IS-alkyI-S SJOB- pending application U.S. Ser. No. 551,893, filed on May epoxygonan-Bfl-ol (IV) is accomplished by contacting said 23, 1966. isomer with a solution containing an alkali metal iodide, The process of the present invention, as exemplified in an alkali metal acetate, glacial acetic acid and water, in making a specific compound, is illustrated schematically the presence of zinc dust, at about room temperature for as follows: about one hour. When the deoxygenation reaction is comooooH, 0000B; 000cm C9115 I 02115 I C2115 Oxidation Reduction l I I I O How lSeparation OOCCHs OOOCH; 2 t CzHr 3 plete, the resulting 13-alkylgon 5(l0)en 3/3 01 (V) is separated by routine chemical methods, such as, extraction, concentration, and crystallization.

The 13-alkylgon-5(10)en-3-ones employed as starting materials in the process of this invention are prepared by the process described in copending application U.S- Ser. No. 540,930, filed on Apr. 7, 1966. By reaction-inert organic solvent as employed herein is meant an organic solvent which dissolves the reactants but will not prevent or interfere with their interaction. For example, some such solvents are benzene, toluene, xylene, ether and saturated alkanes, e.g. hexane. Other equally suitable solvents will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. The reaction times and temperatures employed above are not critical and simply represent convenient reaction times and temperatures consistent with carrying out the reaction in a minimum of time without undue difiiculty. Thus, reaction temperatures appreciably below these can be used, but their use considerably extends the reaction time. Similarly, reaction temperatures higher than those mentioned can be employed with a concomitant decrease in reaction time. The amount of solvent used in the aforesaid reactions is not critical, it being only necessary to use a sufiicient amount of solvent to provide a reaction medium for the particular reactants.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that while the process has been specifically described only for compounds wherein the 13-alkyl group is ethyl, the 13-alkyl group can be of varying chain length, such as, for example propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl, pentyl, etc., even cetyl, and for the process of the invention when such groups are present in the starting material, they will be correspondingly present in the intermediates and in the final products and when so used, the process is the full equivalent of the process particularly described and claimed.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the starting compounds can bear groups unaffected by the process reactions, such as, for example but not limited thereto, 6-,'7-,' or 16-methyl, 11- or 16-hydroxy, or 17- hydroxyl-17-alkyl, or the starting compounds can bear labile groups which can be protected to allow selective reduction at the 3-position, such as, for example but not limited thereto, the ll-oxo, 17-acetyl or hydroxyacetyl, or 17-hydroxy-17-acetyl or hydroxyacetyl, which can be protected by ketalization, and these variations for the process of the invention, except for the limitation expressed above, are full equivalents of the process as particularly described.

It will also be apparent to those skilled in the art of chemistry that if the l7-position of the starting material is substituted only with hydrogen or with a group inert to the subsequent process reactions that protection of the l7-position is not required, and that when a starting material thus substituted is employed in the process of the invention, the variation is the full equivalent of the process as particularly described and claimed.

Example I A solution of 40.2 g. dl-13-ethyl-l7 8-hydroxygon-5(l0)- en-3-one, acetate in 750 ml. of benzene is treated with a solution of 36 g. of 80% metachloroperbenzoic acid in one liter of benzene and the mixture is stirred at room temperature for ten minutes. The mixture is then washed with 5% sodium hydroxide, water, dried and evaporated to obtain 42.9 g. of an oil containing a mixture of dl-13- ethyl-17B-hydroxy-5a,10u-epoxygon-3-one, acetate and d1 13-ethyl-l7fl-hydroxy-5fi,IOp-epoxygon-S-one, acetate.

A solution of the above 42.9 g. of epoxide mixture in two liters of methanol is stirred, cooled to 70 C., treated with 21.5 g. of sodium borohydride and stirred at 70 C. for two hours. The excess sodium borohydride is then decomposed by the cautious addition of 75 ml. of acetic acid over two hours, adding one ml. portion every five minutes in the beginning to avoid excess foaming. After removing the Dry Ice-acetone bath, the mixture is stirred and warmed to room temperature, concentrated to 500 ml., diluted with water and extracted with chloroform. After washing with 5% potassium bicarbonate and water, the extract is dried and evaporated to afford 44.6 g. of an oily solid which is chromatographed on neutral alumina and eluted with benzene to yield 16.5 g. of dl-13- ethyl-5 9,10fl-epoxygon-3 8,17fi-diol, 17 acetate which is recrystallized twice from acetone-hexane to obtain white crystals, M.P. 126-128 C.,

max.

NMR: 0.95 (triplet), 2.04, 2.90 (multiplet), 3.59 (one proton multiplet), 4.67 (triplet) p.p.m. Found: C, 72.34; H, 8.87. C H O calcd: C, 72.38; H, 9.26.

A solution of 24 g. of sodium iodide and 7.8 g. of anhydrous sodium acetate in 185 ml. acetic acid and 15 ml. of water is stirred and cooled in an ice bath and treated with 24 g. of zinc dust. To this stirring mixture there is added 15.1 g. of dl-l3-ethyl-5 3,10,3-epoxygon-3fi, 17,8-diol, 17-acetate in portions over fifteen minutes along with 150 ml. acetic acid and 10 ml. water. Thereafter, the ice bath is removed and the mixture stirred at room temperature for one hour, filtered and concentrated to 100 ml. The resulting slurry is dissolved in ether, washed with water, 10% sodium bisulfite, and water, then dried and evaporated. The crude product is dissolved in benzene and passed through a short alumina (Neutral-Act. 3) column, evaporated and crystallized from etherhexane to obtain 9.9 g. of dl-13-ethylgon-5(10)en-3fi,17;3- diol, 17-acetate which is recrystallized twice from etherhexane to obtain white crystals, M.P. 118-120 C.,

NMR: 0.93 (triplet), 2.03, 2.10, 2.37 (one proton multiplet), 4.72 (triplet) p.p.m. Found: C, 75.59; H, 9.45. C H O calcd: C, 75.86; H, 9.70.

Example II A solution of 25.0 g. of dl-l3,l7a-diethyl-l7B-hydroxygon-5(l0)en-3-one in 625 ml. of benzene is treated with a solution of 20.0 g. of metachloroperbenzoic acid in 625 ml. of benzene and the mixture is stirred at room temperature for twenty minutes. The mixture is washed with 5% aqueous sodium hydroxide, aqueous saturated sodium bicarbonate, water, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate and evaporated in vacuo to afford 28.0 g. of colorless solid, M.P. -105 C., a mixture of dl-13,17adiethyl 17 3 hydroxy-5e,10a-epoxygon-3-one and dI-l3, 17a-diethyl-l7p-hydroxy-5B,10fi-epoxygon-3-one.

To a stirring solution of the above 28.0 g. of epoxide in 1,250 ml. of methanol at -70 C., there is added 28.0 g. of sodium borohydride and stirring is continued at -70 C. for one hour. The excess sodium borohydride is decomposed by the cautious addition of excess glacial acetic acid. Thereafter, water is added and the resulting precipitate filtered to yield 24.0 g. of colorless solid, M.P. -125 C., which is recrystallized from acetonitrile (ca. 200 ml.) to give 11.0 g. of the crystalline 11l- 13,l7a-diethyl-5a,l0a-epoxygon-3a,l7fi-diol, M.P. C., thereafter, the mother liquors are evaporated to yield 10.5 g. of the dl-13,17a-diethy1-5fl,l0fi-epoxygon- 318,17 8-di0l as a glass.

To a stirring solution of 16.0 g. of sodium iodide and 5.2 g. of sodium acetate (anhydrous) in 125 ml. of glacial acetic acid and 16 ml. of water in an ice bath, there is added 16.0 g. of zinc dust. To the stirred mixture there is added a solution of 10.0 g. of dl-l3,l7u-diethyl- 55,10B-epoxygon-3/8,17B-diol in 100 ml. of glacial acetic acid over five minutes. The ice bath is removed and the max.

NMR: 4.02 p.p.m., half band width 12 mm. Found: C, 76.16; H, 10.49. C H O ACH OH calcd: C, 76.20; H, 10.89.

The subject matter which the applicants regard as their invention is pointed out and particularly claimed as follows:

1. A process for preparing a 13-alkylgon-5(10)en-35- 01, comprising:

(a) oxidizing a 13-alkylgon-5 (l)en-3-one to form a mixture of a 13-alkyl-5u,l0a-epoxygonan-3-one and a 13-alkyl-55,l05-epoxygonan-3-one by addition of oxygen across the 5(10)-unsaturation;

(b) selectively reducing the 3-keto group in said mixture with an alkali metal borohydride at a temperature range from about 70 C. to about 50" C. to form a 13-alkyl-5a,10a-epoxygonan-3a-ol and a l3-alkyl-5 5, 1 05-epoxygonan-3 5-01;

(c) separating said latter mixture by chromatography or fractional crystallization and deoxygenating the 5(l0)-epoxy group in the isolated 13-alkyl-55,l05- epoxygonan-35-ol by contact with an alkali metal iodide, an alkali metal acetate, glacial acetic acid and water in the presence of zinc dust.

2. A process to prepare a l3-alkylgon-5(l0)en-35-ol which comprises:

(a) oxidizing a l3-alkylgon-5(l0)en-3-one by contact with an acid selected from the group consisting of monoperphthalic, perbenzoic and metachloroperbenzoic acids, in a reaction inert organic solvent, for a period of about five minutes to about one hour at a temperature range from about C. to about C. to form a mixture of a 13-alkyl-55,105- epoxygonan-3-one and a 13 alkyl 5a,10a epoxygonan-3-one;

(b) selectively reducing said mixture with an alkali metal borohydride, in an alkanol, at a temperature range from about 70 C. to about 50 C. for a period of about one to about three hours to form a 13-alkyl-5u,10a-epoxygonan-3u-ol and a 13-alkyl-55, 105-epoxygonan-35-ol;

(c) separating said latter mixture by chromatography or fractional crystallization and deoxygenating the 6 isolated 13 -alkyl-55,105-epoxygonan-35-ol by contact with an alkali metal iodide, an alkali metal acetate, glacial acetic acid and water, in the presence of zinc dust, at about room temperature for about one hour.

3. A process as described in claim 2 to prepare dl-13- ethylgon 5(10)en 35,175 diol, 17-acetate which comprises:

(a) oxidizing dl-13-ethyl 175 hydroxygon-5(10)en-3- one, 17-acetate by contact with metachloroperbenzoic acid in benzene for about ten minutes at about room temperature to form a mixture of dl-13-ethyl- 175-hydroxy-5a,l0u-epoxygon-3-one, acetate and d1- 13-ethy1-175-hydroxy 55,105 epoxygon 3 one, acetate;

(b) selectively reducing said mixture with sodium borohydride in methanol at about C. for about two hours to form a mixture of d[-l3-6thyl-5a,10ocepoxygon-3a,175-diol, 17-acetate and dl-l3-ethyl-55, 105-epoxygon-35,175-diol, 17-acetate;

(c) chromatographically separating said mixture and deoxygenating said isolated dl 13 ethyl 55,105- epoxygon-35,17 5-diol, 17-acetate by contact with sodium iodide, sodium acetate, glacial acetic acid and water, in the presence of zinc dust, at about room temperature for about one hour.

4. A process as described in claim 2 to prepare dl-13,

17m-diethyl-5( 10)en-35, l-diol which comprises:

(a) oxidizing a al-l3,l7a-diethyl 175 hydroxygon- 5(10)en-3-one by contact with metachloroperbenzoic acid in benzene for about twenty minutes at about room temperature to form a mixture of a l-13,1704- diethyl-l75-hydroxy-5a,10a-epoxygon-3-one and dl- 13,170; diethyl 175 hydroxy 55,105 epoxygon- 3-one;

(b) selectively reducing said mixture with sodium borohydride in methanol at about 70 C. for about one hour to form a mixture of dl-13,17oz-diethyl-5a,10ozepoxygon-Iiu,l75-di0l and dl-l3,l7a-diethyl-55,105- epoxygon-35, 175-diol;

(c) separating said mixture by fractional crystallization and deoxygenating said dl-13,17a-diethyl-55, epoxygon 35,175-diol by contact with sodium iodide, sodium acetate, glacial acetic acid and water, in the presence of zinc dust, at about room temperature for about one hour.

References Cited Cross, A. D., et al.: Journ. Org. Chem, 29, 8 (1964), pp. 2195-2200.

ELBERT L. ROBERTS, Primary Examiner. E. G. LOVE, Assistant Examiner. 

